SHE RA !

After reading Raes latest blogs (which have sooo got me off my christmas ass) about being a warrior of 'no retreat / no surrender' - I went to find my own woman on a horse!...and here I am - SHE RA PRINCESS OF POWER! and my trusty horse SWIFT WIND! :-)

I have been feeling so yuck since Christmas - my cold sore hasnt helped - but I AM BACK!

Thanks to my trusty sidekick Kat for shaking some sense into me and to Rae for motivating me to find my own horse and continue my journey - I can honestly say BRING ON 2006!

Giddy up Swift Wind we have some serious riding to do!

This one could be you Kat (she has the bigger b***bs) LOL!

The power of goal setting...

Funnily enough... after embarking on a new leg..well actually more like intending to embark on a new leg of 'fitness in my life' i have been sitting around waiting to get motivated. So anyway, today i went in and start to read my copy of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto.

I got to the goal setting part and thought...yep it's finally time to do it... AND OH MY GOD the sheer thought of my goals got me revved up again like a maniac. Woohoo- ran straight out and got a book to use as my diary...i'd forgotten what it feels like to have something to work towards!!! YAY...

So that's it for me...into it again... i now know what i've been missing... direction...so simple but sometimes so hard to sit down and take the time to find....

Thanks Santa...

Santa gave me a cold sore christmas morning. thanks.

Am relieved its all over - time now to 'get back into it' - just waiting for the gym to re-open!! Heard a rumour it wont be until Jan 2!! - they should be open christmas afternoon - who doesnt want to work off that pudding ASAP!!??

This is how a country gym should look like...ahem...

Jokes on me...

Well, i'm back after a fun chrissy and am really looking forward to get stuck back into training in the new year!

All the bad behaviour of late has to have some consequences though...i've put back on a couple of kilos! Buger...bugger...bugger.... funnily enough i know i stack weight on just by looking at food, however it really didn't seem to stop me when the beer eski was opened and the trifle came around the table....it's gonna take me 4-6 weeks just to get back to where i was before i lost direction!

Other than that am SO SO excited about the New Year and what it will bring for me...actually what i'm going to go out there and get!

I want to go into 2006 in total control...at times it feels like that in itself is sSO far away....however after pondering something Rae said to me ages ago about life time habits not changing over night i decided that everyday i have to make a concious decision to reverse one of my bad habits and reinforce it positively! After all, they will always be bad habits if i can't get me head around changing them.

Tell me, does anyone else get really cranky when they're tired?? OMG i feel like i turn into a possessed woman; this miserable grouchy negative person replaces me... i don't want to tlak to anyone...i'm like "just go away...!" that's the biggest thing i have to change in 2006!

Raes recent post made me relaise that it's time to start taking responsibility for my life... after all, it's my life, my choice and no one else can do anything about it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM KAT & BELLA!!

Store Wars!

The team:
HAM SOLO (kat)


PRINCESS LETTUCE (me)


WATCH THE STORE WARS IN ACTION !!!:
http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

CHEWBROCCOLI

TOFU D2

OBI WAN CANNOLI

CUKE SKYWALKER

Its good to laugh..!!

Late night munchies

Married life exists in the animal kingdom

Bed Hog

How to impress a woman at the gym...

Hippy Shake

MS FIT - NEW NAME / NEW LOOK...!!!

Out of sorts

Well, i kind of feel lost in limbo at the moment. I'm on a maintenance type thing now, but am feeling fat and lazy :) - joys of chrissy. However i am pretty satisfied to be able to reflect on 2005 and be satisifed - well actually thrilled in what i have accomplished - so i guess it's time for a well earned break!

So, yes I have been kicking back - no exercise - no stress about what i'm eating - lasagne for tea tonight... although all this freedom kind of has a down side - like when you are so used to forcing youself to stick to stringent routines you feel kinda lost without it...like i seriously find myslef wandering around aimlessly in the mornings - i am really looking forward to getting stuck back in to it in the new year. I am going to try just having a few 2 week breaks throughout the year to keep my sanity. However i am pleased to say that if you practice better habits for long enough they become second nature.... the old habits die... thank god!

So, yep, looking forward to getting stuck back in to the weights, running and clean eating in the new year. However this time round i'm having a holistic approach - i'm turning hippy...

if you hadn't noticed we've changed the name of our blog.. Life Rulz - our Rulz... it's kind of like taking the next step - making ourselvs identify what we have learned and living by our beliefs.. so in the new year
- no supplements (except l-glutamine, unless instructed otherwise but it has to be homeopathic)
basically i'm going to endeavour to live as cleaner greener life as humanly possible. No more ciggies... it's all good!

k luv yasxxxx

Taking a deep breath

Hi all - sorry for the lack of posting - have taken a needed few days off - feeling much better and rejuvinated - looking forward to having Christmas with the family and am excited about taking on 2006!!!

There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.

To change and to change for the better are two different things.

To exist is to change; to change is to mature; to mature is to create oneself endlessly.

Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you've got.

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.

skin off my nose...

wll... you know those hurdles i was talking about jumping over... well i'm real short and not very athletic, i tripped on the first one and skinned my nose...

on Saturday i just don't know what happenned i just had this uncontollable urge to have a huge night... it came from no where... unexpected... i just had to self sabbotage!

I was just startig to make headway too and then ended up guzzling A LOT of alcohol and nurturing myself with ALOT of chocolate the next day....moron!

Anyway, i'm back up, i've dusted myself off and am back into it...i am still mad at myself but figured i just had to learn from it and figure out what it was that caused it and really get things in to perspective. So, i feel as if i certainly have learned from it that's for sure. I am back up - not running but back up nevertheless...i don't know now whether my 'idealbody' will still be achievable' but i know with certainty that unless i keep plodding a long it will still be even further away!

Jane Fonda 123

How funny! Found this mint condition record in an thrift store today - 50Cents! It would have been so crap exercising in 'the ol days'...haha

The inside cover has these Jane Fonda workout tips:(!!!)
1. Turn the phone off before you start
2. You need a place to exercise where there is no draft and the ceiling is high enough to allow you to jump and clap your hands overhead. If you are on a carpet, put a towel under you to delineate your workout space and keep the dust and fibers out of your nose and hair.
3. Dress for it. I prefer a leotard or tights. If I am feeling over weight, I put on a pair of those baggy sweat pants that feel like parachute silk with an elastic belt. They cover up a multitude of sins and help heat your body faster.I always wear legwarmers to keep my leg muscles warm - and because they make me feel like a dancer.
4. A big mirror to exercise in fron of - count yourself lucky if you have one.
5. You will be stiff at first. But always do your exercises even if you are stiff - after a week or so, you will probably not feel stiff any more.
6. Always remember to empty your bladder before starting.

Stepping on egg shells

ok - I cant do it - I cant eat scrambled egg whites. I dont know why things have changed - I used to be able to eat them no worries - 1 yolk / 3whites - scrambled. Now I just want to dry-reach when I try and swallow - I think most of all its the smell - the texture isnt the bad bit. I have heard about 'egg beaters' - does anyone here use them? do they smell like egg white? - are they full of presrvatives / additives? I normally use protein powder in the morning - but wanted to try something different - I struggle to eat cottage cheese also - and I dont really want to eat grilled chicken at 6am...I sound like such a whinger! - am not normally like this - but my taste seems to be changing - or that Im just getting sick of these types of protein...grr..

UPDATE: Have just been doing some surfing and this is the best egg white substitute I have found so far - free from additives & flavours. Will let you know how I go...
http://www.bodyscience.com.au/?page=supplements/flypage&product_id=50

The right frame of mind

Isn't it funny the amount of challenges that can be thrown at you. After a wild weekend, which i won't go in to detail about... i just felt so gutted. I just get so confused at how i can feel like i can take on the world one minute and the next i'm sabbotaging all of my hard work and i feel like i've been possessed or something! arggghhhh....

so anyway after a particuarly frightful weekend...i've been trying to get my head in the right place... making another attempt to boot the ciggies once and for all, after a bout of heavy partying has left me all but energetic...so ... my sister decides to 'erase' me from her life...apparently in this technological age all as it takes is to press delete in your e-mail contacts and mob phone list and someones gone forever.... whtever, i won't write any more on that because i'm liable to start bawling again and it's a little embarrassing as i'm at work...but hey, i didn't have a smoke, and i wont because, you know sometimes when you've made a really good positive decision something frikkin evil just tries to rear it's ugle head and stop you.... ! has that happe2nned to you before.? So anyway, i'm even more determined than ever. Day 2 - i had a tantrum this morning than was fortunate enough to have a long chat to a great friend, as i sat there trying to justify that i had no reason at all that i wanted to give up i found the fighting power that i'd been lacking. You seee, i have always wanted to quit smoking but i never really found that driving force... you know the one that makes you grit your teeth and get the nothing will stop me atitude...the sme as what you get before becoming fiercly determined to lose weight...that pain you feel when nothing fits propels you into the most determined state you/'ve ever been in...

well, although i've wantedf to quit because of my health, i've never actually ever found that reason to fight like i mean it...(except once when i had ulcers in my throat... i quit for 12 weeks) well, my pain is my humiliation, the pain that something has somuch of a hold over me.... that it's killing me and really the ultimate humiliation would be to be diagnosed with lung cancer... knowing i could have done something about it. it wasn't until i tried that patches that i rtelaise the reason behind all my failed attempts was psychological...well maybe i realised before but didn't want to admit it....

anyway...i'm on day 2... which is embarringly enough the longes i've been in a long time without a smoke... one more day and i won't be fighting the nicotine any more.. it'll be that i'm just fighting me.... todays been hell, yesterday was ok... i'm off camping for 3 days at the end of the week so i'm going to make that my reward.

ok...i've partially cleared some of the junk from my head... only five and a bit hours left at work .... YAY....

Are You Ready?

With Amyellas permission -
I have posted these points from her blog: http://amyella.blogspot.com/
(words in italic were added by me)

I could relate to these points in partiular...

Are you ready:

1. To eat your food absolutely anywhere- when it's feeding time, you have to eat. I eat in cars (A LOT), business meetings, airports, conferences, restaurants (meaning, pull out your own tupperware in a restaurant!)

2. To eat for nutrition only- can you stomach room temperature chicken breast and egg whites?

3. To answer the same inevitable questions over and over- What kind of contest/program? Like a beauty pageant? What are you eating? What IS that?

4. To be made a spectacle- WOW! You sure do drink a lot of water, don't you? Oh, no, she doesn't want any, she doesn't eat. WHAT IS THAT you're drinking?

6. To say no and miss out (sometimes)- on parties, dinners, get togethers, trips, vacations, holidays, celebrations.

10. To feel the most amazing sense of accomplishment and pride. To know that you wanted it worse than everyone else, and you took it. To achieve what most people won't because they don't have the drive, determination and real desire to get there, but YOU DO!

'The Boys'

Its funny how comments from people - no matter how little - can effect your mood. Bad comments I try and just ignore - or the person gets a swift 'comment' back - but good comments - especially when the person isnt aware of the impact - can be really motivating.

Yes - I love my gym. I have a good frienship circle there - and this is why I dont ever have a problem doing my weight program. 'The boys' - as I call them (they have HUGE muscles / many tattoos and are always wearing a t-shirt with a protein powder brand on the front!!) - are training as often as I am (if not more - which is A LOT) and I really have fun with them around. Its so cool to have people training around me that are as passionate as I am about my health & fitness.

Anyway, there I was doing my lat pulldowns and one of 'the boys' stopped his reps - put his hands on his hips and said to me 'Gee - you have such great techinique - I am so proud of how you have developed with your training.' A couple of the other 'boys' stopped to agree 'Yeah - youre gonna be ripped'. I actually got butterflies in my tum! I dont ever expect to hear any of 'the boys' say this - but because they did so honestly - it meant so much to me. I ripped through my remaining weights and have been on a high ever since. Inside I smile and say 'they have seen nothing yet' - and now I am even more motivated to show them something to be really amazed at when I finish this program! ;-)

What happens if you drink too much Starbucks...

Yes - I love coffee. Not any coffee - must be 100% Arabica bean - not Robusta which gives me the jitters. Yes - I know my coffee - not all its specifics - but I know what a good coffee involves. Yes - because I have an espreso machine but also because I know people who work in the industry - good coffee is an art so Im told!!
Gloria Jeans & Starbucks are big 'no nos' - but I am guilty of indulging in a Frappacino now and then when on holidays...yummo.

But morning coffee - that is where is all begins...I have either have a plunger coffee or a long black (both with skinny milk) and I have been doing this for over 6 years. I also have a coffee after lunch - or maybe a 3rd if Im really struggling mid morning. So - why have I gone into all this detail? Well, I didnt have time for my 2nd coffee yesterday and I swear I almost fell asleep standing up! Which confirms my body is addicted to caffeine at certain times of the day (8am & 2pm). Its funny - before this program I used to have some form of chocolate every day at 4pm - and every day at the same time I would crave one. Now - I have given up the chocolate fix but will not be giving up the caffeine fix. I dont drink Diet Coke or any other drinks with caffeine in it - I dont think coffee is 'bad' - but it is if you have the robusta bean - thats my opinion anyway - like I said - I dont know everything about coffee (like which monkey picked what bean high up in the columbian mountains) but I do know that if you chose an Arabica bean - your coffee experience will be GREAT!

made of steel..... 

stick out of the mud...

hows that pic of Arina Manta... she's my current role model for this part of the challenge... i look at her on my fridge and make myself go for a run.... just can't help it....

Anyway, thanks Rae for your advice re: the drinking/socialising thing...

You were right.... when i don't drink i tell myself i'm a boring so and so for not drinking... well anyway after reading your post yesterday i decided that when and if the situation arose I would have to consciously start changing my thought patterns.....

So anyway...last night the towns christmas street party was on... i wasn't going to go but we decided to in the end... so anyway... i didn't even feel like a drink, then someone handed me a flute of wine, i had a couple of mouthfuls then fed it to the plants, i just wasn't interested...then after a fair while of just hanging around and every single person surrounding me drinking i started to get the old woe is me stick in the mud thoughts...i swiftly reminded myself of all the flattering comments i'd been getting all night, and that i wouldn't have gotten those comments if i had been doing the same old stuff as before... and .... of all the other positive stuff that i achieve when not hungover / drinking ....so i said to me self "self, you're not a stick in the mud, you rock!" and the negativity just went away and i forgot about it...

GREAT NEWS... this will crack you up... more so for the fact that i am just so HAPPY about it... most of my friends who i'm spending christmas day with are now preggers....AND THEY CANT DRINK woohooo! too easy for me :0)

so anyway.. that's enough dribble for one day! have a fantastic weekend all!

Now this is...

The ONLY thing you should be weighing up...

Afraid

I know i will sound like a big scaredy kat but sometimes i freak out that i'm not going to get the results i want. I seem to hover in the same spot on the scales... now i know thy're not a great indicator... but it's a little deflating....

i'm working as hard as i can and being as strict as i can... and i know only patience and consistancy will get me there... i'm just hoping it's enough....i just feel like i'm staying around the same size....

might go do caliper readings to check....hmmm

KAT IN 2006 !!

HOLY ABDOMINALS BATMAN!

Kat & Bella doing their cardio...where the hell did that pizza come from! ;-)

Had to post this article by Tom as an inspiration for me to step up my cardio - I know this is what I have to do to get my 'calorie fire burning'...geez...!!I mean GREAT!

To burn more fat you have to burn more calories. Most beginners start off with three days a week of cardio training. This amount of cardio is enough to get health benefits and it's enough for many people, especially beginners, to lose body fat. That's because when your body isn’t accustomed to exercise, then any increase in activity above no activity will always produce results.

However, more often than not, the results begin to slow down a bit within a few months of training (commonly known as "hitting the plateau"). Then they scratch their heads and wonder why it's not working anymore.

This is why: Because three days a week is a great starting point for beginners, but it’s often insufficient for intermediates to keep the ball rolling, or for those seeking maximum fat loss in the least amount of time (such as bodybuilders in the pre-contest period or people preparing for fitness contests and "12 week transformation challenges").

If you want a little more fat loss, increase your cardio a little.

If you want twice as much fat loss and you want it twice as fast, double your cardio - if only for a very short period of time to reach a peak condition.

Suppose you burn 400 calories per workout for three workouts per week. That's a total of 1200 calories per week burned. If you increased that to six days per week at 400 calories per workout, you would burn 2400 calories per week. YOU JUST DOUBLED YOUR FAT LOSS! That was a real no-brainer, wasn't it?

While we're on the subject of burning more calories, what would happen if, in addition to increasing your cardio frequency from three to six days per week, you increased the intensity so you’re burning 600 calories per workout? With six workouts at 600 calories per workout you're up to 3600 calories per week.

Holy abdominals Batman - You just tripled your fat loss!

Yes it's that simple and the solution was right there in front of you all along.

www.tomvenuto.com

a little more on what Rae and Beki have been talking about...

i think at times some people think i'm going overboard with my workouts etc, like when i started this program all everyone asked was why? hmm... like i should have to explain it. THey couldn't fathom why i would want to put myself through another 12 weeks... why i wanted to lose more weight since i looked so 'great' ... Wehelll... they're still saying i look great...they'd say i looked great if i put 8 kg's back on... it's hard forever trying to justify yourself...

when my best friend and dan my partner had their combined 30th a few weeks ago, i told Jen (the girl whos 30th it was - and a very close supportive friend) that i wasn't going to drink...her reaction - well... if you think you can...in total shock and disbelief. That wasn't the reaction i was looking for. I've decided to keep all that stuff to myself from now on. I won't tell anyone i'm not drinking and make a big deal out of it, i just won't drink... and hopefully they'll be too drnk to notice that i'm on soda water :-) ppl who've never worked hard to achieve goals have got no idea how deflating it can be to sabbotage your efforts. THey have no idea what it's like to feel like crap for 3 days after drinking... craving bad food and missing work outs...
it's just not worth it anymore.

I could not handle getting to the end of this 12 weeks not getting the results i want and knowing that i didn't give it everything i have. After reading the latest Oxygen mag i've realised that i will not get the results i crave unless i stay on track as much as humanly possible. I have resparked the fire...it's like i'm heading towards my goal with blinkers on a hundred miles an hour, no one or anything will stop me from getting there... this is who i am now... the old me is dead... there will be no resurrection... i will not go back to that miserable place i started from... i feel the best i have felt in my entire life and i refuse to let anyone else try and drag me back. I'm having issues at the moment with people expecting me to suddenly turn back to the "old me" the funnioest thing is though that the old me sucked! the old me carried on like a pork chop, was depressed, miserable, overweight and had drinking problems...you think they'd be goddammned proud of me for beating your demons... the thing is deep down they are, but the strength you show them scares them and makes them feel bad because they too have things they want to change but don't have the guts to do it...they sweep it to the side and keep living their lives in an insignificant blurrr....

well, that's my opion anyway.

So yep - the Kat is back and more powerful than ever before.... bring on the hurdles because i really can't wait to jump over them.....

THE 'SECRET' TO INCREASED FAT LOSS IS...

Ok, so you just got started on a program of walking or light cardio and some basic lifting, maybe some dumbbell work - nothing fancy. You feel better, you've lost a few pounds, you have more energy and you're confident that you're getting healthier.
But you want more... You want the results to come faster. You want to look in the mirror and really SEE the difference. You want other people to see the difference too. You want more than "a little tone." Maybe you want a nice hard chiseled six-pack with a small waist, or maybe streamlined, muscular thighs. Arms like Madonna perhaps? A Brad Pitt "Fight Club" body maybe? Nothing too crazy - not a miss fitness Olympia body or the massive bulk of a Mr. Universe - but definitely better than average.

Well, if you're prepared to STEP UP to the next level and pay the price necessary to reach the next rung on the ladder, here's how you do it: The answer is very, very simple. As you leave the novice stage behind, it's time to start WORKING HARDER!! - THATS IT!!

Were you expecting something more esoteric? Some secret Bulgarian periodization program and thermogenic - anabolic supplement stack? Sorry, but the secret is that there is no secret. A great body all boils down to outright effort and hard work.
Not counting the "genetic freaks" who seem to have been born with muscles and zero fat, there's one thing that all people with great bodies have in common: they all work HARD, HARD, HARD, HARD, HARD!

If you want to ascend beyond the lowly beginner level you simply have to push yourself harder. And that means DIS-COMFORT. When you're pushing yourself out of the comfort zone, it hurts. Frankly, sometimes it sucks! But outside the comfort zone is where you grow. Staying inside the comfort zone will only maintain you at best but usually it sends you plummeting into a downward spiral.

Most people retreat into the confines of their comfort zone the second the effort gets difficult. The comfort zone is a very dangerous place because if you slide back into the comfort zone even once, then it starts becoming a habit.

First, it's stopping just a few minutes short on your cardio or coasting on level 5 when you could be doing level 6. You stop at 8 reps, when you had 11 in you. Then you start blowing off workouts completely. Pretty soon, you're sliding back in other areas of your life; you slide back from making those sales calls; you slide back from spending quality time with your family, you slide back from saving money and watching your finances. You become.... A BACKSLIDER!

You can either be a backslider or you can be an ACHIEVER but you can't be both and you can't "hang out" in between - it's one or the other. Although you might think you're safe just "maintaining" in the comfort zone, unbeknownst to you, you are always in motion in either a forward or a backward direction. There's no such thing as standing still; ask any physicist - everything in the universe is always in motion...vibrating... growing or dying.

The ACHIEVER is the person who is aware that to "stand still inside the comfort zone" is akin to dying, so he or she is ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD. The only way to move forward is with hard work and effort in the direction of a specific goal.

YOU CAN DO IT KAT!!

confessions of a naughty weekend....

yeah i know... sounds like fun huh....


well. I would like to start by saying that week 4 really sucked for me...i hope it's the only weak week i have for the rest of the challenge. I managed to get almost all cardio and neally all abs done, missed all weights though this week, firstly because i was sick, secondly because i was being plain lazy...actually tired...i felt so knackered all week. Anyway... i mostly stuck to my diet over theekend ( we went camping) but i ended up drinking....but don't tell me off yet because there's a plan of attack to follow....and i have a heap of supplements coming to me which i am preying will help with the energy...

Mags purchased on Fri - latest Oxygen - this was awesome for me! this edition felt like it was written for me, it answered heaps of my Q's...which i always forget to ask... &

Runners World.. I've decide for life after IBO whilst i'm travelling around Aus i'm going to try and concentrate on running in every place we get to! I wonder how many people could make a claim to that??? i would eventually like to run a marathon... and once living in a town with a gym i would like to train to compete....

So, basically, i've written out a plan of attack. Getting rid of all sugars - real and fake - the coffee is totally gone...even on high carb days....GREEEN TEA WILL BE ALL THERE IS FOR ME....
stick on plan, do weights first thing in morning then follow it with cardio, that way if i run out of time and miss cardio i know i will have time for cardio of an evening... it gets tough the other way around though (do you think the cardio in pm instead of am makes too much of a difference)>?? on non weight days cardio will be first thing though... so 50/50 might not be too bad!

and... i hope you'll be as excited for me as i am... i finally bit the bullet... no more half assed attempts... no more banging my head against a brick wall... i finally decided to give the nico patches another go.... this time i'm going to do the whole program...i can't wait, because i know they take the edge off so much... i'm looking forward to getting stronger in my running and taking control once and for all....i alreasy have a whole months supply on order....a friens who's a runner told me to give them another go as that's how she quit...so that's what i'll do....i will complete my patches the same day i complete the 12 weeks for BB comp...(4 weeks after IBO program)....yay! there's a pretty cool goal... non smoker on final day with no patches off to a professional photo shoot to show off some hard earned abs... followed by... well i don't know... a big slab of choccy cake! :-)

so other than feeling like a bit of a failure...(don't worry i'm not dwelling on it) i feel ok, i've refocused goals etc...i am totally amped about this mini xmas challenge...i've been so distracted though, i don't exactly know what i am to do there?!

bella, forgot to bring measurements on fri... will have them tomorrow...hope to have our meeting tomorrow since i missed fri's (so sorry!) cant wait to catch you up!

Its a Wrap!

Interesting...

They look like brightly coloured paper but they are 100% edible. The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in the US is developing vegetable-and-fruit based food wraps which can be used like tortillas or in place of cling film.

The aim of the research is to reduce synthetic food wrapping, while providing extra nutrients so that both people and the environment benefit. Made from 75% pureed fruits and vegetables, the wraps are papaer-thin - thanks to infra-red dying - and come in a variety of flavours including carrot-ginger, tomato-basil, capsicaum and soybean.

The wraps which are to be commercialised within the next 12 months, can also be used as a substitute for nori, the seaweed wrap used in sushi.

You heard it on Kat & Bellas blog first! ha!

Finishing 2005 STRONG!

Ok Guys - its exactly 4 weeks until 2006...2006!!!

That is 4 weeks of focus on nutrition & exercise to start the year proud and strong! I want to be proud of WHO I AM at the end of 2005!

I am really amped about this. I started my first IBO program April this year and it has changed my life - saved my life! 2006 is going to be my first NYE ever in which I KNOW my body and RESPECT it - never have I been through a year where I completely understood or appreciated how to look after myself.

Things have changed and this change is permanent - 2006 I have some HUGE goals - health/business/career/spirituality/relationships etc - which all require hard work and dedication - DEDICATION TO MYSELF! The 'other' options - will not enter my mind - eg: laziness - only laziness (relaxation) when needed - trust me, I know how to be 'lazy' - but it will be to spoil myself NOT to punish myself - BIIIIGG DIFFERENCE GUYS!

Bring on the next 4 weeks - 2006 I will be flexing some serious LIFE muscle - 2006 IS GOING TO ROCK!!!xx

P.S - The latest blog from Jon Benson is really motivating - got me off my bum this morning to visualise my goals for 2006 - As he says: You must now become your own hero.

For 32 days, you will receive a personal email from me. I am writing these as we speak (write?), and they come from the heart and the head.

What’s the content? 32 days of emails that range from 2-5 minutes to read and digest that, if applied, will change your life for the next 32 years — and more. Much more.

Using the M-Power principles of “Mind, Meals, Muscle and Motion”, Scale The World will take you on a 32-day journey, one day and one step at a time, to an understanding of each component and how to use them to maximize your health, your fitness, and your life.

Each daily email will be in five segments:

MANTRA: This is what you will dwell on for the day. This will also include the reason — why this concept is crucial for your future and the future of our planet.
MIND: what you must do today in order to program the mind, both consciously and subconsciously, to make the adjustment and create the Mantra.
MEALS: concepts, changes, and ideas for fueling the mind and body in order to sustain the Mantra.
MUSCLE: what to do exercise-wise to increase your energy, decrease your body fat, and enjoy the process, with a focus on the Mantra as the Driving Point.
MOTION: how to move closer to the goal of a leaner, healthier, safer planet through moving toward a leaner and happier you. Motion toward ‘freedom’ is the theme of the 32 days. “Motion” also involves action. For example, if I suggest you “throw away all food with more than 5 ingredients”, I’ll suggest you to give the food to someone who’s truly hungry. (They have more urgent needs than shedding body fat.) By doing this, you set the principles of abundance in motion — and you will reap far more than health as a reward.

For more info in Jons cool idea check out: www.10in10challenge.com x

Low Carb Sillyness

Well - I have decided I am no longer going to say 'Im on a high carb day - Im on a low carb day.' When my body hears me say 'Im on low carb' it immediately thinks 'Oh great - a day of hunger - cant believe you arent having carbs - Im going to punish you all day with thoughts about eating bread.'

Ha! I say - low carb days ARE NOT about punishment - in fact its actually doing me good - and that is what I need to say out loud 'GOOD DAMMIT!' All I have to do is increase my veggie/salad intake with Meal 3/4/5 and I will be fine - so there...

Now that I have sorted that issue out - I am into my 3rd day of my Mini Christmas Challenge - and feeling good! I have been writing my days in a little diary again - small & pink with a butterfly on it - girlie I know - I was going to buy the one with winnie the pooh on it eating honey from a jar...geez...maybe the low carb days are getting to me after all...!!

One thing I need to get back into - Cardio - I said CARDIO!! This came my way which seems interesting...hmmm?

http://www.cardiocoach.com/index.php
Guided interval workouts on cd or mp3 download. They get progressively more challenging, can be used outside running or on a treadmill, stepper or bike.

p.s ...and yes - I did do Atkins for almost 2 years before IBO - god, I look back and wonder how I ever thought that was the right way to go - and all I achieved was being THE Miss. Grouchy Bum!

well... just have to tell you that this is another one for da girls! this is the third year in a row that i've landed the first Barramundi out of Exmouth. You're not even meant to get them here so it's pretty special... bet the AGAIN YAY! 

me at the end of my last program (about 4 weeks ago) 

this pic was taken yesterday... i can't believe the difference a few weeks has made to the lower half of me... I hardly felt as if i'd lost anything... i'll let youy guys check out my b-hind.. because i think sometimes you don't even realise you've lost it 

Thanks Teresa

9 Stay positive and put yourself first
It's really important for us to realise that we need to put ourselves first and look after ourselves in order to enjoy our everyday lives. These days society demands that we look great. We constantly beat ourselves up over the way we look, doing damage to our health and self-esteem. Remember to enjoy your food and exercise in moderation and being able to have the occasional treat when you feel like it is ok, so long as you're not treating yourself every day! If you love your body, the best things you can do is to nourish yourself with healthy foods , get regular exercise and plenty of rest. A positive approach is the best way to tackle anything. Remember you are what you believe.

www.teresacutter.com

VIRUS SMIRUS

Hi, well i have the day off and feel like crap. I got out of bed quite amitious, ready to do weights abs and cardio, i went for a wlk around the block then took my self home... the cramping that i had yesterday is a hundred times as bad...can't get off the toilet...yukky....

So, i've had some tablets to numb the pain, my neck and shoulders are SO tight...i'm glad it's blowing it's ass off outside, because it makes me feel a whole lot better about spending the day feeling sorry for myself in bed. I don't feel like eating anything, and i don't know if eggs and veg will make me feel worse... walkign a fine line here... i feel like oats, but i'm on low carb..... hmmm the mind boggles...

I seem to be plateauing with my weight.... waittingt to hear from Sue re this....i don't know whether i should use a thermogenic to get cranked up again....

I'm entering the body blitz again today... it means i will have to keep working out for four more weeks after my IBO program finishes, but i wanted to get some kind of fitness plan in place for life after IBO anyway... so maybe this is the PERFECT solution... i actually think it will work out quite well, it will force me to make better food decisions and learn to cook healthier stuff...

k well, going to check forum out now... got day off work ,so will toodle off home (don't have net at home) i know.... i shouldn't have come in but i wanted to check e-mails and forum.

Have a great day!

ME ON THE WAY TO THE GYM....

Its moooonnnday - and Im feelin' ok....sounds like a song- my singing doesnt really work with those lyrics though - Im more of a mariah carey girl myself...ahem.

So yeah - Im ok - woke up this morning to start my 9 week countdown - with a HEAVY and I mean HEAVY workout - said Raes words in my head of 'lift heavy or go home' - it really motivated me - I actually felt my abs through the workout - love the feeling of a strong 'inner core' - just got to see them work!!

My arms were shaking when I had my post shake - my muscles sucked up the protein like a sponge - they bloody needed it!! Had to laugh - still going to this country gym - 2 old school classrooms pushed together - equipment is old, but hey, it does what I need it to do! I picked up the 10kg for my bicep curls and I had 3 women crowd around me and watch!!! They had never seen the 10kg used by a girl before - I was shocked!! I felt like ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGER!! Told them they will have to take some photos when I pick up the 12.5kg...!! It was good - I think it motivated them to pick up a heavier weight than a 4kg - 'chicks should and CAN lift heavy!!'

Meals today:
Meal 1: 1/3 cup oats w 30g protein powder
Meal 2: 1/2 cup oats w 200g cottage cheese
Meal 3: 100g chicken w 100g sweet potato & mushrooms
Meal 4: 100g chicken
Meal 5: 150g lamb w green beans

Other:
3x coffee
post-workout shake

I know I said I wont be having cottage cheese - but I hadnt had time to preprepare meals - so it was the easy option. One thing I have to confess is my 'abuse' of soy milk....yep have been drinking it out of the carton!!! so...I will have to control my addiction - 2tbs per coffee bella!!! Lite Soy Milk DOES NOT replace WATER!!! Phew - feel better - I think all those nice pink drawings on the carton doesnt help - it all looks so friendly and good for you....damn marketing ploys - gets me everytime!!

so....I'LL BE BACK....sorry guys had to say it!!!

PUMPED

Well, i gotta say that apart from feeling a bit snoozy i am feeling amped and so focused! I've decided to focus all of my energy into the remainder of my program and give ALL i have! It has made such a difference, even my abs work outs are so much more focused...i feel so much better... it's like i've finally got this undescribable boost of energy... weird energy, more like a mind energy... my eyes are still heavy but it's just been a major attitude adjustment...

you guys will just LURV this...

ok,. so the other day, Bella nad I apparently had some kind of motivating lightning hit as at the same time *weird* , since then i've been working my butt off to get all of my stuff done, abs, cardio, weights etc....anyway, it meant doing something morning and night... I decided to go for a fish with Dan last night though, at first i was bummed because i thought i was going to miss a work out... we-elllll how wrong i was...

We planned the fishing trip so we had to walk a long way to get there and back, so i trekked out in soft sand carrying my fishing rod and a back pack....which was fantastic...

i stormed ahead of the guys so i could get a really good work out, then when i got up the beach i thought yes i have a towel(i wish it was premeditated... but sadly im not that smart) ... ABS ON THE BEACH woo....so got stuck in and did my abs.... half way through the guys arrived...stood in front of me and pretended to be my drill sargeants...lol usually i would have been way too embarrassed... but i just decided i didn't care.... they then shook their heads turned around grabbed a cold can and cracked it, remarking how i make them tired just by watching... :-)

it was wicked... so stoked with myself! so fight fight fight....Raes poem from body log has helped me heaps. You know what, also an affirmation from Anthony Robbins, i've been saying these out loud when i run...
"Everyday in every way i'm getting stronger and stronger" you can replace stronger with whatever you want, ie happier, richer, whatever you want. I have the stuff that i can send to you guys if you are interested, i've found it so empowering. If you want them, e-mail me your postal addresses and i'll send them out. I have the "hour of power" loaded on to my ipod, take it for a run and feel like a new girl at the end of it...it's a bit dorky, but it works.

My affirmaiton is " Every day and every day i'm a fit and happy non smoker, everyday in every way i'm a fit and happy non smoker..." Beki, trying shouting that out whilst you're running... it brings tears to my eyes when i do it... put a big smile on your face... and look like an idiot, i only first did the smoking one this morning as i'm testing it out to see if it helps...working so far.... one day at a time though right...

So, let's get "juiced" as he says... cracks me up every time....

FAT CLOTHES

Hey, we all have ‘em. Admit it. I’m wearing some of mine right now, but not because I’m “fat” but because I just WANNA. I wear very loose clothing most of the time, even when I’m ripped. Then, right when you least suspect it: BAM!! Speedos. I’m an artist and we like our stark and drastic changes.

Like the combover, fat clothes aren’t fooling anyone but yourself. Wear all black and dark gray vertical stripes until the cows start to quack and you’ll still be fat when you’re neekid. Most of your friends and co-workers will just mutter things like, “Hmmm…doesn’t he/she have any fashion sense? I mean, just because he/she is FAT, I mean…” Get it? Good. Because we’re about to turn the tables on fat clothes and use them to our advantage.

You see, we all have fat clothes, and now you know (hopefully) that they suck.
Here’s the secret: most of us have fat clothes that are a size too small right about….now.

Here’s a great trick for discarding fat faster than Donald Trump discards the people on his reality tv show..

Today, go put on a pair of jeans that’s one size too small…or a half-size. Wear these all day. See how much less you crave food. Go ahead and dawn this ensemble with a trendy fat-clothes top so you don’t feel like an utter jackass. That’s okay in this exercise. No…really…GO. Now. I’m not typing another word until you….okay then.

How does it feel? Sucks, doesn’t it? Good! Wear them around for as long as you can, then slip into something more fatty later in the evening, like this wonderfully-lined and fashionable pair of Armani (read: Target) sweats I have on right now. I’m right there with you.

Then, put those pants on your bedrail, dresser, or if you’re really freakin’ cool, hang them from your ceiling and call it abstract art. Take them down in a week or two, and put them on again. Guess what? If you’re doing the 10, they’ll fit. In psychotherapy, this is called desensitization. It’s a trick I learned when overcoming panic disorder many moons ago. You see, we ‘fear’ those clothes. Really. They remind us of everything fat reminds us of:

Being uncomfortable.

What we used to be.

What we wish we were.

Take a stab and this and watch how fat clothes, unlike the combover — which serves no useful purpose other than Blog Fodder — can start serving your goals.

Oh, before I forget: be sure to keep your ‘current’ fat pants when you fit into the others, just for a few weeks or so. Then burn them. It’s fun to wear them around with a belt and feel really lean and healthy on your way to becoming truly lean and healthy. But burn them. That way going back is, at best, an expensive option. Think “Greek” here folks. They burned their ships when they landed on an island they wanted to conquer.

No retreat.

No capture.

No surrender.

Posted by Jon Benson at November 4, 2005 01:19 PM
www.10in10challenge.com

Breaking the HABIT

THIS IS NOT AN ATTRACTIVE HABIT!

kat - its really good that you have identified your nutrition hurdles - diet coke/ artificial sweetners etc - you have to become AWARE of them before you can give them the A**. My other issue is at around 3pm EVERY DAY - I have a 'lets go and have a look at whats in the kitchen' idea - well BAD IDEA. I stopped myself today - wasnt craving sugar just a mixture of boredom and habit - and have decided each time I say NO when I get this 'idea' - these 2 things WILL become weaker - and will just eventually disappear. Habits are weird things - I can do the same bad thing and beat myself up for it over and over - then I go away on holidays or whatever - dont do it - and come back asking myself why I ever did it in the first place!!?

EATING BAD FOOD GIVES YOU BAD MANNERS!! 

too true... 

It's been a loooong week...

Firstly, i have left comments for Bella and Beki in a couple of the posts below... RE: the fag hag stuff...
Secondly... no it didn't last again....
THirdly... i'm over it! - this is going to sound disgusting to everyone but you know why i still smoke... i've worked it out...because i get driven nuts when i'm sitting around tables of food and alcohol at social occassions....it's like if i don't smoke i eat twice as much!~ stupid i know....still working on it...

Isn't it funny how some weeks fly by and other weeks just drag and feel a bit like torture... well i've had a week of the latter...

I'm pleased to say i like knowing that i have made improvements within myself... up until Thurs i had not done a single weight session and very little cardio... in the passed i would have thought "stuff it, weeks over" and given up until Monday, however, regardless of how crappy i've felt have resolved doing nothing would make me feel worse and have now only got one more weights session to do phew... almost there....

Drinking copious amounts of alcohol just isn't worth it... this is what happenned...
1. GOt SO bloated....ate lots of bad stuff for 2 days afterwards... it through me right off... and i bloated up with fluid...like 3kg's of it! I know this happens to me easily as it has happenned a thousand times before, so don't know why i do it to myself...
2. The bad food leads to bad "manners" .....i stink for 3-4 days (so EMBARRASSING!)
3. Been exceptionally tired...


So decided some serious thought had to be put in to my current situation. I have just agreed with Sue to write out a pact to swear off the boozers for the remainder of my 12 week program... if i decide to drink it's an absolute maximum of 2....i figure, it's a small sacrifice to make to get the body i want....so, decided i can't have my drink and swallow it too.... as Daniel and I discussed yesterday, beer is like glue to my hips... goes down my mouth and remains on my hips and takes far too much effort to move it!It's not fair, but i have to face facts and learn to deal with it or i'll just go putting all the weight back on again.

It's funny, as soon as i went back on to clean eating... no cheating... my sugar cravings went too... i'm with you guys in that the artificail stuff seems to make them worse... and sometimes even create them...

Re: everything else, i have spent sometime looking at my diet... i have barred coffee all of my low carb days (because i put far too much milk in it) have switched to green and regular tea) i bought a mixed pack of the Moccona coffees today...i love Moccona... so decided to have a coffee as a 'treat' on high carb days...and this way i get to have a really yummy coffee...i'm also putting an end to my free meals.... because my free meals usually end up being alcohol....i can live with that....

Re: artificial sweetners... i drank a few cans of diet coke yesterday and had a really bad headache last night....i wonder if was the DC's.... i don't use much artificial sweeteners only 1 splenda tablet in tea/coffee.... don't use it in anything else... and yes Beki, i am sick of cottage cheese too... i've decided to have my protein in scrambled egg whites instead...i figured that not wanting to go to the fridge to get your meal because you know what it is, was was BAD....it makes things harder, i'll still have the cottage cheese, just not every day, i'm making an official point of having more variety.

Looked at my high carb days and decided that i'm not having enough variety... so plannned my menu yesterday for today...so i have a better variety of food... a yoghurt, some fruit, chicken stir fry w rice for lunch..yum! The low carb days won't be so bad if i am more organised on my high card days and eat some different stuff.

So, at least things are looking up.... being organised is definately the key....geeze.. almost on to week 4 already... time is flying by.

Jobs for this week:
1. Put together a plan for social gatherings... so i don't pick at crappy food ie dips and crackers, smoke ciggies, or drink alcohol (is it humanly possible...i guess i'm about to find out)
hmmm... well that's about it... oh Dan and I are starting to do the Anthony Robbins Get the Edge program together this week.... it will be a big WEEK.

DRY AS A CHIP

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE BRING ME SOME WATER!!?

Update: have been SOOOO thirsty - I think I have already consumed 3ltrs of water before lunch!! - yes I have been peeing like a mad woman - feel like I am in the sahara - and yes beki, still feeling like a camel without the humps...haha
Still no sugar cravings - did look at my boyfriends organic museli this morning and visualised myself eating it - but didnt. Gotta love organic museli with all those litle surprises (nuts, raisins, oats, dried apple et) in it - I pick museli to bits -it takes me ages to eat.
Where the hell are you kat? miss you x